BLACKBURN'S new £100million super hospital could be the first in the country to offer patients an American-style room service menu.

Two wards at Queen's Park Hospital have already tested the new a la carte menu during lunch and dinner times as part of an overall review of the hospital's catering service.

Now health bosses are looking to test the system on two more wards before deciding whether to implement it across the new single site development, which will be completed in 2006.

If the trial is a success, it could also be copied at Burnley General Hospital.

The idea was developed by facilities manager Mike Hall, who visited New York last year with catering consultants employed by East Lancashire Hospital Trust to see how the room-service operated at a cancer hospital.

The menu includes a much wider selection of dishes than before and gives patients the opportunity to order food between 11.30am and 2pm and between 4.30 and 7pm rather than filling in a menu request form the day before.

The order is passed to a ward hostess who phones through to the kitchens and deliver the meal to the patient within 30 minutes. Mr Hall said: "We were very impressed with what we saw and the patients seemed to love it so we're looking at introducing it here.

"I believe we're the first Trust in this country to consider it. Many patients here felt that having meals delivered at a set time did not always fit in well with them."

Terry Wilson, catering manager at Queen's Park Hospital, said: "The trial went very well and there was good feedback from the patients.

"We do think now that yes this could work -- for the single site there will be 800 patients which is a lot more than the trial but it could be done."